> --- On Fri, 8/22/08, Marvin Gandall <marvgandall at videotron.ca> wrote:
>
>> It was never, in fact, the US intent to pemanently occupy
>> Iraq. The invasion
>> was meant to accomplish swift regime change and an early
>> exit, with a
>> minimum loss of blood and treasure, and the successful
>> installation of a
>> bourgeois puppet government under Ahmed Chalabi, which
>> would proceed to sign
>> a peace treaty with Israel, broker a Palestinian surrender,
>> and break the
>> OPEC monopoly on Mideast oil. The US, after having provided
>> such a shocking
>> and awesome display of military power, would give
>> troublesome regimes like
>> those in Iran, North Korea, and Cuba the same ultimatum to
>> quickly surrender
>> or die as it gave Saddam.
>
>
> [WS:] I am not sure that there was one US goal behind the invasion of
> Iraq. I think there were multiple - and conflicting - goals pursued by
> different interest groups.
I agree there were multiple regional and global objectives, and thought I identified the most compelling ones above.
[...]
> [WS:] Conceptualizing this adventure in terms of unitarian interests of a
> nation state (the US as a whole) is inaccurate and ignores the deep class
> divisions and conflicts (papered over by corporate media) in the US
> society.
I agree again that there was by no means a consensus in favour of an invasion, both at the top or deep within the society. It was conceived by an overconfident right wing faction of the US ruling class, and opposed by prominent members of the bipartisan defence and foreign policy establishment which had deep reservations about the adventure. Some like Scowcroft, Zinni, Brzeninski, Eagleburger, etc. spoke out publicly against it in unprecedented fashion.
These cracks were not papered over in the lead up to the invasion. Of course, when it began, the politicians, media, and other elite groups all rallied around the flag and a "wartime" president. When the project looked to be successful, they deferred to Bush and Rumsfeld. When it became undone by Iraqi resistance to the occupation, the elites and the US public returned to criticizing the adminstration for leading it another quagmire reminiscent of Vietnam.